EBOLA
An
influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against
which the human population has no immunity, resulting in several, simultaneous
epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness. With the
increase in global transport and communications, as well as urbanization and
overcrowded conditions, epidemics due the new influenza virus are likely to
quickly take hold around the world.
In the past, new strains have generated pandemics
causing high death rates and great social disruption. In the 20th century, the
greatest influenza pandemic occurred in 1918 -1919 and caused an estimated
40–50 million deaths world wide. Although health care has improved in the last
decades, epidemiological models from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, USA project that today a pandemic
is likely to result in 2 to 7.4 million deaths globally. […]
If an influenza pandemic appears, we could expect the
following:
- Given the high level of global traffic, the pandemic virus may spread rapidly, leaving little or no time to prepare.
- Vaccines, antiviral agents and antibiotics to treat secondary infections will be in short supply and will be unequally distributed. It will take several months before any vaccine becomes available.
- Medical facilities will be overwhelmed.
- Widespread illness may result in sudden and potentially significant shortages of personnel to provide essential community services.
ORAL TASK:
·
Give a short summary of this WHO warning
·
As an expert on farming, you are
often confronted with diseases in the field of agriculture. For the government,
you should advise farmers how to protect from animal diseases like the “bird
flue”. Give some advice.
·
In class, we have watched the movie “Outbreak”
with Dustin Hoffman. In your opinion, is the world endangered by a great
pandemic like it is shown in this movie? If yes, what can we do about this
problem?
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